


Caramel

by shallowsusceptibility



Category: One Piece
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-02
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-06-02 16:04:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19444852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shallowsusceptibility/pseuds/shallowsusceptibility
Summary: “Mother Carmel.” She hears Big Mama sometimes whisper to her quietly in the middle of the night, like she was made only to be told of things no one must ever hear. “This is you, right? You look just like her.”





	1. Chapter 1

The story goes is that she wasn’t actually a part of the family.

She just happened to show up one day tumbling out of a dirty basket and Big Mama took her in. 

“Mother Carmel.” She hears Big Mama sometimes whisper to her quietly in the middle of the night, like she was made only to be told of things no one must ever hear. “This is you, right? You look just like her.” 

She doesn’t know what to respond with, she can’t really speak either seeing her voice box is ruined since she was born. So she silently nods and Big Mama explodes into noisy tears and sniffling. 

That’s how she came to be a part of the family and how she was given the name of Caramel. 

She adopts Big Mama’s last name Charlotte.

Charlotte Caramel came into existence through chance. 

The other children fear speaking to her as she is always by Big Mama’s side, mainly on her shoulder. 

She takes up the habit of smoking cigarettes and wearing a golden cross necklace around her neck by the time she's of a more independent age: 17. It makes her resemblance even more striking next to the actual picture of Mother Carmel. 

The chef out of the blue told her the truth of how Mother Caramel disappeared when Big Mama was asleep in a food coma after one of the daughters’ successful marriage with one of the worst generation pirates. 

The chef seems drunk and most likely started talking to her because she was the only one awake amongst the littered unconscious bodies of either inebriation or food comas. 

“Caramel… Ya know, always thought Big Mama was desperate but you really do look like Mother Carmel now that you’re all grown up… Weird, since you’re not all that old yet but there are similarities there.” The chef says in between hiccups.

She’s relieved she’s mute and doesn’t have to respond. Especially since his name isn’t one she knows of. 

She doesn’t know anyone’s names much but the first few children that were born. 

She just nods and it seems that’s all the encouragement the chef needs to continue. “...Bet you don’t know the actual story of how Mother Carmel vanished huh? She didn’t turn into thin air or run away with the other orphans like what Big Mama and well what I implied happened. I saw Big Mama go into a rage, ate all the delicious pastry and couldn’t stop from either her friends and Mother Carmel too… Might want to be careful next time… Who knows, Big Mama hasn’t done it to you in all those years you’ve been with her, but you’ve always been on her shoulder. Don’t drop off or who knows… ya might get eaten…”

Is all the chef says before eventually slumbering.

Slightly disturbing to hear that the person she’s named after was eaten by Big Mama herself but it is in a way pitiable. 

However, this information is stupendous because Big Mama mentions Mother Caramel had the same powers as Big Mama does before disappearing. 

She could eat Big Mama and gain this power, well. Perhaps not Big Mama, too much of an issue. Someone else then. 

Big Mama chatters constantly of handing her powers down to her when she can or getting a similar devil fruit for her, 

Boggling and that will take time. She has been by Big Mama’s side longer than the children has. 

It is only right she gets her dues the now isn't it? 

One of the daughters go missing and she informs Big Mama not to worry by performing the ability of preserving the food still. 

Big Mama is delighted and doesn't seem to care much about the missing daughter. 

Good. Neither does the rest now that Big Mama doesn't care but she notices some of the eyes are narrowed in anger aimed at her. 

It seems like the daughter she ate had some close bonds. Oh well. 

The chef seems nervous as though it could've been him. 

Don't be nervous, she uses her fingers to write on the yet to be solid icing of the cake of her birthday in the making. Your presence is important to Big Mama.

One day however, the other sons and daughters that knew the missing daughter of whose powers she ate confronts her. It just so happens to be the day in which Big Mama is unavailable to aid her due to some issues with manufacturing her favourite dish. 

She smiles and nods to them as they try to get her to confess. She signs something universal even her supposed family can understand: Insane. 

Blistering, the ones that can control their haki more or less looks ready to end her right there and then if it wasn't the fact Big Mom would most understandably end them just as completely. 

Not bothered in the least by their threatening disposition towards her, she kicks herself up into the air and passively watch them seethe at her before they return to their responsibilities outside of this island. 

Big Mama does not seem interested in sending her away to be productive like all her other siblings, if anything else she is treated like a precious ingredient which must be sparingly used. 

Caramel makes her rounds to use her powers once a year which is when the food requires maintenance but often than not she is escorted to preserve the new ones more or less like clockwork every week. 

She grows tired of this work and baked a cake with her minced toe. Expectedly the child who the cake was for gained the power and Caramel shrugged saying to Big Mom that she wasn't cut out for the job and would like to travel. 

Big Mom surprisingly acquiesces to her request saying: "I trust you to be just like Mother Carmel, Caramel!" 

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth was a saying she currently follows and happily travels without any restrictions.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work in progress

The one that was born third, Katakuri, seems to be the one Big Mom has decided to send her off with. 

On the morning of her departure, they meet for the first time without Big Mom watching. 

She waves and mimes taking off a scarf and grins with her teeth glinting. 

As expected, he does not react much other than narrowing his eyes as a warning and a jelly bean shot right next to her feet. 

She kicks it back to him and his foresight unfortunately allows him to catch the bean back and she sighs and signs languidly: You're no fun. 

No verbal response, just a hand motion urging her to follow him and she airily glides across the sky, her hair tied back into a ponytail for once due to the destination of where they're heading, or well, passing through. 

The heat of the burning sea causes sweat she rarely experiences to occur all over her and she knocks thrice on the wooden railing of the sea, face feeling like she's being burnt. 

...the sea is a tempting reprise although she knows that to be false. The servants Big Mama has left her with are of her own soul's creations. Not exactly like Zeus or Prometheus but similar enough due to their abilities. 

Boreas is simply a pair of wings with eyes that move all over its body and she calls it to her with a simple finger motion. It has a mouth, but does not speak much, if at all - which she is thankful of as she'd rather not deal with endless chattering even when she travels on her own. Wrapped up in cooling wings, she sighs and starts to doze off in the cocoon and allows her thoughts to wander.

Where will she go now that she has the blessings of the yonko to travel as she pleases? From what she hears from the chef who told her the truth of the orphanage, it was simply a cover up for selling children to the marines' less known sectors and that Mother Carmel was no saint like Big Mom perceived her to be. Her hands thrum the strings of the lyre with no clear tune and the lyre moves away from her fingers. 

The lyre is Apollo. Unlike Boreas, it is rather talkative. Its main form is a rather musically pleasing lyre. The lyre is an instrument which can transform much to her surprise. A chariot she can have others sit in if she has company when traveling, a laurel wreath to heal, a bow to strike illnesses in others, and even the transformation of other objects - so far she's only been able to turn inanimate objects into other instruments. Like Prometheus, it is enveloped in sun rays. 

Big Mom only cares for her dream and anything that may represent her lost Mother Carmel. Creating two living objects for that representation is obvious but Caramel wonders if they'll report everything she does to Big Mom. Is that possible? Well. No matter, whatever she does will not hinder Big Mom and that's the end of it. 

"Caramel." The voice of the third son shakes her out of her reverie and she pries Boreas open and steps out of the cool cocoon of feathers with a frown. "This is the Grand Line. Near the Giants in fact."

A log pose is thrown her way and she catches it without looking up. Boreas is attaching itself to her back - how fantastical Big Mom is about Mother Carmel - and she is flown downwards to the island the ship's been docked at. As close as they can without raising the ire of the Giants that is.

...Thanks for the ride. She signs slowly so he understands. Tell her I will try. 

With a nod, Katakuri turns his back towards her and the ship sets sail back to the direction they came from. A smaller ship remains where she knows everything has been stocked and the soul of a navigator is imbued in the steering wheel. A chef's soul in the kitchen tools, and so on and so forth. 

Once the ship is out of sight, she plays with the log pose on her bracelet. Dragging her finger down the smooth glass sphere, she smiles and brings it down against the rock. It doesn't break, how durable. 

A high note careens out of Apollo: "Let's begin!" He drags the latter word on. "Our journey!" And ends on a smooth guttural deep note. 

"What shall we do?" Boreas asks. She smiles and points toward the direction the log pose directs her. "Good decision - but food? I eat the wind and Apollo - noise but you need nutrition, Caramel." 

She laughs noiselessly and waves a hand to the direction of the sea and imitates that of a fishing pole swinging down and reeling up fish, not to mention that the ship has likely already been stocked with long life food. She can't quite convey that last bit out loud as she doubts they understand her signing. 

Coincidentally, Apollo speaks the last of her thoughts for her out loud. "I'm sure Big Mom has stocked her up with food!" 

"Ah but of course." Borras quietly laughs and goes silent. 

She has Apollo resting around her neck in its laurel wreath form and she wishes she could communicate to them far more easily than gestures. 

Ah, that's one activity to keep her busy on her travels. Find a method to communicate effectively with the soul imbued living objects accompanying her. 

She steps on board of the small ship, fitting for a single passenger like herself and wraps the bracelet around the steering wheel. 

The navigator in that wheel yells happily: "We've got a destination! Prepare yourself you hooligans! Caramel, please keep yourself safe inside your quarters, we'll get you there in a day's time!" 

She gives the wheel a thumbs up and watched with curiousity as the sails open on their own and change direction. Would such a ship like this even gain a Klabautermann when there are other souls already existing in it? 

She doubts it.

**Author's Note:**

> Work in progress


End file.
